Pedal board for organs



March 1965 P. A. KLANN 3,175,447

PEDAL BOARD FOR ORGANS Filed 001;. 3; 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG] INVENTOR.

PAUL A. KLANN BY 1 13am M 1 ATTORNEYS March 30, 1965 Filed Oct. 5, 1963 FIGS P. A. KLANN 3,175,447

PEDAL BOARD FOR ORGANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGS INVENTOR.

PAUL A. KLANN BY w ww w ATTORNEY/S United States Patent 0 3,175,447 Billie-RD 519R @RGANS Paul A. Klann, E29. lien 23%, faynesboro, Va. Filed et. 3, 1963, Ser. Jo. 313,624 3 Claims. (Ql. fi i -fll This invention relates to improvements in pedal boards for organs.

Pedal boards for both electronic and pipe organs have conventionally been made of wood and to AGO. (American Guild of Organists) specifications. The wooden pedals of the known pedal boards fan outwardly toward the organ console in accordance with A.G.O. specifications. The operating end of the pedals inside or adjacent the organ console also fan outwardly taking additional space within the console. To toe in th conventional pedal ends at the front of the pedal board when the pedals are made of wood requires considerable woodworking and therefore considerable expense. Furthermore, padel keys of prior pedal boards are quite difiicult to remove, more being a number of screws and other connectors required for assembly on conventional pivots. Also, the stops used in connection with the pedal keys of known pedal boards are commonly made of felt which is attackable by moths, rodents, and the like requiring periodic replacement to provide a quiet and effective stopping function.

Th s invention provides a unique and novel pedal board construction built to A.G.O. specifications in which the ends of the pedal keys are toed in to save space even though the pedals of the pedal board fan out. Each pedal is easily removable and no assembly screws are required for inserting or removing any individual pedal from its pivotal mounting. Stop means are provided on each pedal which provide controlled and quiet stops while being indestructable by church mice, rates and insects.

The construction of this invention also provides means guiding the pedals through support guide rails which eliminates any rattling of the pedals in their supports even though there are no screws or conventional mechanical pivots for the pedals.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention and the best mode which has been contemplated of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

FlG. l is a perspective view of a portion of the pedal board of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the pedal board.

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevational view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and showing a natural key of the pedal board.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view or" a sharp key in the pedal board similar to the natural key shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a detailed sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a stop grommet for a pedal key.

MG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line ll% of P16. 3.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 or FIG. 4.

The pedal board ill, as shown in FIG. 1, is built in its dimensional standards to AGO. specifications as are most organ pedal boards although this design lends itself equally well to pedal boards which do not meet A.G.O. specifications as well. T he pedal board includes a conventional frame 1?. having a rear base rail ii, a rear top rail lo, and side rails 18 fanning out from the rear base rail as shown Eldldgll? in Phil. 2. The side rails include a toed in front portion and are covered by a top rail 22. Contained within this frame are the standard pedal keys 24 according to A.G.O. specifications. These keys include the conventional arrangement of naturals 2t: and sharps 28. The pedal board it? is positioned adjacent an organ console C, F? 3, as is conventional in the art.

Within the frame, there is a novel mounting for the ice s which themselves have a unique construction. This arran ernent includes a front guide rail 59 curved as shown in PEG. 2 and a rear guide rail 32. The front guide rail includes extending top ilanges 3 2-, see PEG. 3, or other means for attaching the guide rail to the bottom of the top front rail 22 plus a plurality of extending bottom flanges 36 which function as stops for the pedal keys. A plurality of slots 38 are spaced in the rear guide rail for accommodating the pedal keys. The rear guide rail 32 includes a top flange ill as shown in FIG. 3 and also a plurality of slots 32 for accommodating and furnishing the pivot points for the pedal keys.

Lining the slots of the rear guide rail 32. are a plurality of plastic insert grommets Similarly, lining the slots 33 of the front guide rail 39 are a plurality of plastic ins grommets td as shown in more detail in FlG. 7.

ert nose rommets include a tubular extension 48 for frictional engagement with the pedal keys to eliminate rattling.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, each key such as natural key as illustrated, includes a wooden top 5% having a bottom l ngitudinal s ot .12, for mounting on a metal support 54. The metal support 54 includes a hooked rear end portion 5'6, a wea area at the front 5'3 (see FIG. 7) for bending purposes, and a slot (all at the front for accommodating a pedal extension.

A bushing 62 of resilient plastic shown in perspective in FiG. 6 is positioned on the metal support about the weakened area as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. This bushing functions as a stop for the pedals and includes extending top tips and bottom tips 65 which are adapted to engage the underside of top rail 22 and the extending bott m flanges of the front guide rail Ell, see PEG. 5. The tips on bushing .62; function as shock absorbers in the stoppin function and tend to eliminate any bounce of abrupt stops.

An adjustable key extension 68 is adjustably mounted in slot so by means of an adjustment screw 79. Also, a spring '72 attached through hole 74 in the metal support 54 and to the frame by nail "id in recess 78 on top rail 22 serves to bias each key to its uppermost position. A pedal key action is schematically shown at to be actuated by the pedal key extension 68 upon pressing down on the pedal as is well known in the art.

F165. 4 and 9, show the construction of sharp key 28. This key is mounted on a channel or angle support b2 having an upper flange 84- to which is attached black wood sharp portions by suitable screws or the like. The sharp is otherwise similar to th natural described above and includes a hook-ed rear portion 88, a weakened bending portion and a front slot 92.

Due to the fact that the wood of the pedal board keys is straight and the tanning out of the keys are standard to A61). specifications, conventional pedal boards will continue to fan out within the organ console and take up additional room and additional width. To have the conventional keys toe in so that the ends are all parallel as in the subject invention in MG. 2 requires considerable woodworking, splicing and the like. However, by maklog all of the keys on metal supports provided with weakened bend portions as in the subject invention, the ends of the keys can all be parallel, the sides of the frame can be toed in and the space saving arrangruent shown in FIG. 2 can be accomplished.

The stops for the keys are uniquely provided by flanges in the front rail and the tips on the plastic bushings carried by the metal keys. Since these are plastic and not the conventional felt, they will not be harmed by rodents, insects and the like.

The insertion and removal of the keys in the construction of this invention is quite simple. The rear end of the key need only be pulled up from the position shown in FIG. 3 and then slid forwardly until the end clears the slot in the rear guide rail. Then the rear end of the key can be lifted upwardly and the entire key can be removed through the slot in the front guide rail (of course after the spring and key extension have been disconnected). This arrangement of removing pedal keys is much simpler than the removable keys of the known prior art. Furthermore, no screw or mechanical pivots are needed or required. Additionally, the front ends of the keys could be different lengths to provide for different constructions in different types of organs as would be apparent to one skilled in the art. The lining of the slots in the metal guide rails by plastic bushings provides quiet and low friction operation.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiment, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A pedal board for an organ comprising; a pedal board support frame assembly including a front guide rail, a rear guide rail, and connecting side rails, the rear guide rail being shorter thanthe front guide rail, and the front and rear guide rails each having a plurality of adjacent elongated slots therein, a plurality of sharp and natural key pedals carried by the pedal board support frame assembly and extending through the slots in the front and rear guide rails, each pedal key including a top and a metal support for each of the pedal tops, and a hook in one end of each metal support for cooperating with the elongated slots in the rear guide rail and effectively providing a pivot for each pedal key.

2. A pedal board for organs as defined in claim 1 wherein both the front and guide rails are metal and further comprising plastic grommet means lining each of the openings in the front and back guide rails and preventing metal-to-metal contact between the metal supports for each pedal key and the guide rails.

3. A pedal board for organs as defined in claim 2 further comprising means defining a weakened portion in the end of each of the metal pedal key supports opposite the hook end so that these supports may be toed in by bendmg.

4. A pedal board as defined in claim 2 further comprising a resilient plastic bumper carried by the front end of each of the metal supports, the bumper including resilient tips for absorbing shock upon stopping of the keys.

5. A pedal board as defined in claim 4 wherein the plastic grommet is positioned over the means defining the weakened portion and further comprising a stop integral with the front guide rail cooperating with the tips on each bushing for stopping.

6. A pedal board for an organ comprising;

(a) a pedal board support frame assembly including a metal front guide rail, metal rear guide rail, and side rails and conforming to A.G.O. standards wherein the rear guide rail is shorter than the front guide rail, the front and rear guide rails each having a plurality of adjacent elongated slots therein;

(b) a plurality of sharp and natural pedal keys arranged in the usual order in the support frame as sembly and extending through the slots in the front and rear guide rails;

(0) each pedal including a top and a metal support for each of the pedal tops;

(d) means defining a hook in one end of each metal support for cooperating with the spaced elongated holes in the rear guide rail and thereby providing the pivot for the assembly;

(e) means defining a weakened portion in the other end of each of the metal pedal key supports so that these ends of these supports may extend through the holes in the front guide rail and be toed in by bending to save space outside of the front guide rail;

(7) plastic grommet means lining each of the openings in the front and rear guide rails and preventing metal-to-metal contact; and

(g) a plastic bumper surrounding the front end of the metal-to-metal supports, the bumper including resilient tips for shock absorbing upon stopping a pedal key and silent operation.

7. A pedal board as defined in claim 6 further comprising;

(a) a stop integral with the front frame rail for cooperating With the tips on each bushing for stopping, and

(b) a spring for each pedal biasing the front end upward.

8. A pedal board for an organ comprising;

(a) a pedal board support frame assembly including a metal front guide rail, metal rear guide rail, and side rails and conforming to A.G.O. standards wherein the rear guide rail is shorter than the front guide rail, the front and rear guide rails each having a plurality of adjacent elongated slots therein;

(b) a plurality of sharp and natural pedal keys ar ranged in the usual order in the support frame assembly and extending through the slots in the front and rear guide rails;

(c) each'pedal including a wooden top and a metal support for each of the pedal tops;

(d) means defining a hook in one end of each metal support for cooperating with the spaced elongated holes in the rear guide rail and thereby providing the pivot for the assembly;

(e) means defining a weakened portion in the other end of each of the metal pedal key supports so that these ends of these supports may extend through the holes in the front guide rail and be toed in by bending to save space by being substantially parallel on the outside of the front guide rail;

(f) plastic grommet means lining each of the openings in the front and rear guide rails and preventing metal-to-metal contact;

(g) a plastic bumper surrounding the front end of the metal-to-metal supports, the bumper including resilient tips for shock absorbing upon stopping a pedal key and silent operation;

(h) and a stop integral with the front frame rail for cooperating with the tips on each bushing for stopping, and

(i) a spring attached to the front end of each pedal and the support frame biasing the front end upward.

No references cited.

LEYLAND M. MARTIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PEDAL BOARD FOR AN ORGAN COMPRISING; A PEDAL BOARD SUPPORT FRAME ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A FRONT GUIDE RAIL, A REAR GUIDE RAIL, AND CONNECTING SIDE RAILS, THE REAR GUIDE RAIL BEING SHORTER THAN THE FRONT GUIDE RAIL, AND THE FRONT AND REAR GUIDE RAILS EACH HAVING A PLURALITY OF ADJACENT ELONGATED SLOT THEREIN, A PLURALITY OF SHARP AND NATURAL KEY PEDALS CARRIED BY THE PEDAL BOARD SUPPORT FRAME ASSEMBLY AND EXTENDING THROUGH THE SLOTS IN THE FRONT AND REAR GUIDE RAILS, EACH PEDAL KEY INCLUDING A TOP AND A METAL SUPPORT FOR EACH OF THE TOPS, AND A HOOK IN ONE END OF EACH METAL SUPPORT FOR COOPERATING WITH THE ELONGATED SLOTS IN THE REAR GUIDE RAIL AND EFFECTIVELY PROVIDING A PIVOT FOR EACH PEDAL KEY. 